Shadow's Flashback
by Sonic Hero
Summary: Shadow looks back at his life before he plummets to Earth. INCOMPLETE
1. Shadow is Created

Note: No, I don't own anything. I never have, never will. Got that?  
  
**_Chapter 1: Shadow is Created_**  
  
[Space colony ARK]  
  
"Now, Shadow!" said the blue hedgehog, Sonic.  
  
The two hedgehogs, Sonic and Shadow, have just destroyed the biolizard, a prototype for the ultimate life form. Using the legendary chaos emeralds, the blue blur, and the current "ultimate life form" destroyed the giant orange lizard in their "super form." Shadow learned the power of chaos emeralds, and taught Sonic how to "chaos control." Now, with the ARK heading towards earth at a tremendous speed, the two were about to dangerously chaos control to stop it.  
  
"Chaos control!" They both yelled.  
  
The two flew at the ARK and a blinding light occurred. When the light disappeared, the ARK was blasted back into orbit. However, Sonic felt that something was wrong. Something... missing. He looked around. Shadow was missing.  
  
_** Shadow's flashback  
  
By Sonic Hero  
**_  
Shadow got thrown back from the ARK, heading through the Earth's atmosphere. He closed his eyes and tried to go trough his life. The good times, the hard times. One... last... time...  
  
[Flashback: Gerald Robotnik's lab]  
  
_.....wha...what's happening?...who...who am I?...Where... am I?_  
  
"I am creating you, Shadow the Hedgehog, the ultimate life form. You are in my lab" replied a voice from nowhere.  
  
_Shadow.......Shadow......ultimate life form? Is this true?.....wait...who are you?  
_  
"I am Dr. Gerald Robotnik, scientific genius." Said the voice, once again.  
  
Robotnik...genius...  
  
This is Gerald Robotnik's lab, located in the heart of the space colony ARK. The date is around 60 years ago. Lately, a genius scientist has been working on an interesting project. He claims it to be the world's ultimate life form – Project Shadow.  
  
The new creation finally opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. He was standing on a small platform floating above a large hole that seemed to go on forever. The room was large, too. About 25 yards. It was dark, creepy, and it had wires hanging down from the ceiling.  
  
And finally, about 10 feet away from him, he saw a man with a large mustache and a white lab coat, sitting on another floating platform in an office chair. The platform had a control panel with lots of switches and labels on it.  
  
"At last, after years of hard work, you're completed," he said.  
  
Congratulations, doctor Robotnik.  
  
"Now the only thing left is to-"  
  
"...grandpa? Are you in here?"  
  
There was a muffled voice by the doorway. The doctor spun in his chair toward the voice.  
  
"Maria! I told you not to come in here while I'm working!" yelled Robotnik. "I'm in the middle of something really important!"  
  
Shadow turned to the doorway. Standing in the middle of the doorway was a small girl little girl. About 7 years old. She was looking at Shadow with a smile.  
  
"Who is this?" She said. "One of your new friends?"  
  
"This..." started the scientist. "Is Shadow. I just finished him."  
  
"A playmate? Yay!" said the joyous Maria. "Can I play with him?"  
  
"What!?!" said Gerald. "He's a powerful death machine!"  
  
"Oh come on, grandpa!" Said Maria, disappointed. "Please!"  
  
"All right, Maria. We'll see how he reacts with other people," Said Gerald. "Oh, Shadow, this is my granddaughter, Maria."  
  
"Hello Shadow." said Maria, with a sweet smile on her face.  
  
_...Hello...Maria..._  
  
Shadow leapt from his platform all the way to the doorway. The both of them walked through a long hallway, then finally to another large room with glass walls looking out at the stars and planets of outer space.  
  
_...Maria.......What is that large, blue thing over there?  
  
_ Maria giggled. "That's Earth, silly." She looked at Shadow. "You didn't know that?"  
  
_.........no...I guess not...  
_  
"Wow..." Maria said, looking out the window. "...What...do you know?"  
  
_...Gerald...master scientist...Maria...strange room......  
  
_ Maria looked at him, as if she thought he wasn't done. "...That's all? Wow." She said. "...would you like me to teach you about Earth, the planet we came from?"  
  
Shadow looked down.  
  
_Maria...earth.......  
_  
He looked back at Maria, with a small smile on his face.  
  
_...okay...  
_  
"Yay!" said Maria, as happy as she was before. "Let's go!"  
  
She grabbed Shadow by the wrist and ran down the hallway, going past the door where Gerald was. He saw them pass his open door, and then pulled out a book from one of the compartments of the control panel. Then he pulled a pen out from another compartment. He found and empty page in his book and started writing.  
  
_ Today I have finally finished project Shadow. He doesn't speak often, but his deep voice sounds intimidating. Excellent.  
  
However, my granddaughter, Maria came in at the wrong time. She asked to play with my newest weapon. Regretfully, I let her. Right now, Shadow and Maria just flew past my doorway. We're they... playing together? I most certainly hope not. I hope this "playing around" doesn't change Shadow. He is made a machine. Not a play toy. Let's make it stay that way.  
_  
Will Shadow really change? Will Professor Gerald allow it? How does Maria die? Tune in next time for the next installment...  
  
**_Chapter 2: Maria and Gerald gone_**


	2. Gerald & Maria gone

**Chapter 2: Maria and Gerald gone**

Note to self: update shadow fanfic, get more reviews... Oh, and thanks for the reviews, I don't think I've gotten so much with one chapter! Anyway, here it is.

"Come on, Shadow! I'll show you my room!" Maria took Shadow by the wrist and ran down the hall. They both came to a metal door 4 times their size. Shadow noticed Maria was putting in numbers on a keypad next to the door. 6...1...7...3...1. The giant door opened to one side.

Inside was a giant, light-bluish room. A big, red bed was in the corner, with a few assorted stuffed animals and dolls. A few white cabinets sat on the other side of the room. But the most dazzling spectacle of it all was the colossal glass window that took up half of the wall in the back.

Maria ran over to the other side of the room, next to the window. "Come on, Shadow!" she shouted across the room. "I want you to come and look at this!"

Shadow just stood there. "Could you help me?"

Maria was confused. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Just come over here!"

Shadow looked down at the ground. He tried lifting a foot, but almost immediately lost his balance and fell flat on the floor.

Maria giggled as she walked across the room. "You're pretty funny, Shadow." She finally got to him and helped lift him up to his feet. "Do you know how to walk?"

Shadow shook his head. "Not really." He finally said. "Could you help me?"

Maria gave him steps and tips on how to keep his balance while moving, and finally, Shadow had made it to the other side of the room.

"Good job, Shadow!" Maria said. "Now like I was saying earlier, here's my window. Shadow turned to the window and stared out.

It was an amazing sight. There were billions of stars and rocks floating in the darkness of space. Thousands and thousands of tiny white lights lit up the dark. But the most spectacular sight of the picture was the view of a giant, blue planet with little, white clouds covering it. It took up a quarter of the window, but it looked magnificent.

"Maria, this view..." said Shadow, staring into the stars. "It's... its beautiful..."

Maria turned to Shadow "What do you think it's like down there?" questioned Maria.

Shadow kept staring at the planet. "People.... children... play... happy..."

"Shadow!!" called Gerald Robotnik, who was still in his lab. "I need you for a few minutes!"

"You should go." She said. "Grandfather needs you. I'll see you later, okay?"

"But... Maria..." Shadow stammered.

"Shadow!" the professor called again.

Shadow sighed. "Okay, I'll go." He tried his best to walk to the door. Once he had finally made it there, he turned around. "Maria... promise me you won't leave me..."

Maria nodded. "You have my word."

He nodded back, turned around, and continued walking to Gerald's lab.

He finally came back into the doorway of the professor's lab. "I'm back." He said. "I think I've gotten this walking thing."

"That's nice, Shadow," said Gerald, with his voice not showing much interest. "But I need you for a while. Please step into this chamber." He pointed to the cylinder-like container that was just big enough to fit Shadow.

Shadow stepped into the odd-looking device Gerald was talking about. It puzzled him what it did.

"This chamber," Gerald said, as if he was reading Shadow's thoughts. "will put you to sleep for a few hours. It is for adding the last feature to your design- heart."

He pressed a few buttons at his control table. "You were created as a weapon, Shadow. I was told to. I may not usually create weapons, but I must. It's my job." The door to the room Shadow was in slowly closed. "Remember this, Shadow. You are unique. You are a weapon with heart and free will." The door was closed, and the chamber immediately filled with a blue smoke.

Before his sight was completely lost, and before he fell asleep, the last thing he saw were flashing red lights. He soon fell asleep after that.

A few hours passed, and Shadow woke up. The smoke was gone, and his container was opened. He walked out of his capsule and looked around in astonishment. The lab had broken, metal pieces on the ground. The control panel was fried, and Gerald & Maria were nowhere to be found. He ran outside the door to the hall.

"Gerald!" he shouted. "Maria!" No answer came. He ran to Maria's room. Maria was staring out the window again, but breathing heavily. Shadow ran across the room again, and accompanied Maria. "Maria," he said. "I'm so glad I found you! The lab is a mess; the siren was going off..."

Maria fell to her knees. "Shadow..." she managed to get out. 'Find... grandfather..." she fell to the floor and laid there motionless. Shadow picked her up, but she wouldn't wake up. He carried her over his shoulder and ran back to the lab entrance. Gerald wasn't there. He kept running down the hall, until he found a giant room where Gerald, too, was lying motionless on the floor.

Shadow put Maria down and ran over to Gerald. "Doctor!" he shouted. "Doctor, are you all right?"

The doctor stood up. "Where's Maria?" he asked.

"She's over there," turning to where he put her. However, she wasn't there. "Maria?" he asked.

An odd sound surprised Shadow and he turned to see what it was. The doctor was in a glass container. Maria was over by another control panel. "Grandfather," she said, weakly. "Please... bring hope... to humanity..." she pushed a button, and in a blinding flash, the capsule, with Gerald, disappeared.

Shadow started running toward Maria. "Maria!" he shouted. "Don't!" He stopped. Something was blocking him from going to her. He looked around, and noticed that he was in a glass capsule. "Maria!" he shouted. "What are you doing?"

'I'm... trying to save you..." she said. She got her hand ready to push a button.

"Wait!" Shadow said. "You go! You take this capsule!"

"Shadow..." she said. "Please, do it for me... and all the people... on that planet..."

"Maria..." Shadow said, sadly.

"Please," she said. "Give them a chance... to be happy..."

She pressed the button on the console. The capsule dropped at an incredible speed. The last thing Shadow could hear was Maria's voice.

_"Shadow... please... bring hope... to humanity."_

After that, Shadow fainted, and couldn't feel the impact of the capsule exploding.

Is this the end for Shadow? Are Maria & Gerald going to die? Where is Shadow headed to? Will Sonic Hero ever feel like updating his fanfics? Tune in next time forrrr...

CHAPTAH 3: Shadow's new home.


	3. Shadow's New Home

Author's Note: Thank you all for your praise (and haze) in your reviews. I really appreciate it. I apologize for how long it's been since I last updated anything. Honestly, this chapter has been waiting on my computer for some time now, and I had forgotten to upload it. (-.-;)Here you go, my fans. Chapter three.

**Chapter 3: Shadow's new home**

_Shadow, please, do it for me..._

Shadow's head filled with pain, thoughts, and a few painful thoughts. But the one thought that stayed glued to his memory was Maria's last words.

_And all the people on that planet..._

He couldn't move. He could barely breathe. The pain throughout his body immobilized him in every place.

_Give them a chance... to be happy..._

Shadow waited a few more minutes for the pain to stop. After what seemed like a half hour later, Shadow felt he could finally move his arms & legs. He slowly and carefully lifted himself up to his feet. He stopped and looked around. He could tell he definitely wasn't at the ARK anymore.

His surroundings, while they were new to him, felt oddly familiar. From as far as he could see, he could see nothing but curved, yellow fields that spread left and right of him. Behind him there was a flat, blue surface that seemed to go on forever until it turned into the orange sky.

Shadow's brain spun. Could this possibly be what Maria had told him about?

_Earth... So many people... so bright... so natural..._

"Are you okay?"

He spun around, his thoughts scrambling. Behind him was a small, young girl with short, black hair. Her sorrowful expression reminded Shadow of Maria. "Mister? You okay?" she said again. "You look confused."

Shadow hesitated. "Do you know where I am?" he finally said.

The girl looked more confused than him. "Umm, this is Emerald Coast." She said. "It's a beach... in Station Square."

_Beach... coast... Station Square..._

"Umm, thank you." He finally said. "I'll go now." Shadow began walking to the sidewalk that was a ways away.

"Mommy! Mommy!" he heard the little girl shout.

"Hi, Julie," he heard another voice say. "Who was the friend you were talking to? He looked a lot like Sonic the Hedgehog."

Shadow continued walking until he finally got to the city. Shadow looked up and around at the extremely tall structures that loomed over him. The area was filled with bustling activity. Metal contraptions spewing smoke rushed past him, people in crowds moved as a whole, and the commotions and sounds and honks and revs felt inescapable.

As he walked around, he noticed that as he walked, more and more attention was drawn to him. A space formed around him, and more and more eyes closed in on him. People murmured things under their breath.

Shadow's eyes darted across the people. There was a man dressed in blue, a woman dressed in red, two children in white, and a tall, burly man dressed entirely black. He seemed to be talking into his collar.

Shadow walked faster, keeping his eyes on the man in black. The man seemed startled, and began to change the direction he was walking in. He was now following Shadow.

Shadow started to walk faster. He felt more nervous than before. The man said more things into his collar. His sunglasses (which seemed odd, considering thesidewalks and streetswere covered by the shadows of the tall buildings) hid his dark brown eyes and partially covered his thick, brown eyebrows, both revealing his frustration.

There was no mistaking it. Shadow was being followed.

Shadow's casual walk immediately turned into a mad dash through the crowd. The man in the black suit began a sprint towards Shadow. "Alpha leader to base," he said aloud. His voicematched his muscles. "Suspect is attempting an escape route headed in your direction. Engaging intercept plan C."

Shadow ran off the sidewalk and onto the street. Tires of stopping cars screech to an abrupt stop. The man chasing him stopped. Shadow dodged every car that came in his direction, whether he was jumping, rolling, or running. After finally reaching the sidewalk on the other side, he looked back at the strange, suited man. The man gave a look that appeared to be a combination of anger and confusion. After catching his breath, Shadow gave the same look back.

_Men in black suits... avoid... traffic... avoid... humans... avoid... humans... avoid... humans... avoi-_

"Sonic the Hedgehog, please come with me."

Shadow spun around, startled. Another man in a black suit sporting dark sunglasses was standing near him. He looked like the other man, but taller, and less muscular.

"Umm..." Shadow said, not knowing what to think about his situation. Had they really wanted him, they would've probably captured or killed him by now. "Why do you want me?" he finally asked.

The man seemed more confused than Shadow. "...You're not Sonic, are you?"

"Sonic? Who is Sonic? And why do I keep hearing about him?"

The man searched his pockets, pulled out a photograph, and showed it in front of Shadow. The person in the photo slightly resembled him. The hedgehog had Shadow's size and shape, but was completely blue, rather than black and red. In the bottom-right corner of the photo was what Shadow figured was Sonic's signature.

"This,"the man's voice was more friendly,"is Sonic the Hedgehog."

"Okay, well, if I am this 'Sonic,' what would you want with me?"

The man gestured him to follow. He started walking away. Shadow hesitated, wondering whether or not this man can be trusted. Finally, he hurried after him. "Seriously, who are you, and why do you want me?"

"My name is Smith." He said. Shadow knew he was lying. "I work at the FBI, and we have a certain mission for..." he glanced at Shadow, "Sonic."

"So, is Sonic part of the 'FBI,' too?"

"Kind of. We've asked him to do numerous things in the past. Have you ever heard of him? If it weren't for him, the Earth would probably be engulfed by water. Everyone would be dead"

_For all the people... on that planet..._

Shadow shook his head to get rid of his painful memories of Maria, but Maria's dying words were imprinted on the back of his mind.Smith said more, but Shadow stopped listening. One question answered, a million more raced through his complex, yet confused mind.

Why were the red lights and sirens wailing on the ARK when he woke? What had happened to Professor Gerald Robotnik? What is this "Earth?" And how will he get back? Would he _want_ to get back? Was the ARK still intact?

While these questions echoed in his mind, more questions were heard even louder. What about Maria? Is she still alive? Is she still on the ARK? Has she, too, landed on Earth? And her last words? Bring hope to humanity? Was she talking about Earth? And how would he do that? Shadow stopped walking, almost ignoring Smith, and closed his eyes. Then all his thoughts vanished, almost instantly.

_Shadow, please, do it for me, and all the people on that planet..._

_Give them a chance to be happy..._

"Shadow?" Smith asked. "Shadow, are you coming?"

Shadow opened his eyes, rather annoyed. "Yes," he said. "Sorry, I was caught up in my... thoughts..."

Smith eyed him with suspicion. "Oookay, well, anyway, the industry I mentioned is up ahead."

A tall, grey building with countless windows towered ahead a few blocks ahead of them. As they entered the sliding glass doors, Shadow noticed how generic the building felt. The people dressed in black suits, like Smith's, walked around with shades and suitcase, even though they were indoors. They were hiding something, but what it was baffled Shadow.

Smith led Shadow into an elevator that contained few buttons. The only accessible floors were floors one through ten, but when shadow saw the building from the outside it looked like it had at least twenty. But the only thing more suspicious than the buttons was the large, silver plate on the wall below the buttons.

Smith pressed his right hand against the plate. The plate emanated an odd, orange color as the door to the elevator closed. The elevator, without any notice, plunged deep below the building in a huge, roaring descent. The lights in the elevator flickered occasionally, and the elevator shook rapidly. Shadow held onto the convenient handrails on the sides of the walls to keep from smacking into the ceiling. He glanced quickly at Smith every now and then, surprised at the fact that Smith seemed unaffected by the drop.

"This elevator drops very quickly," said Smith. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Shadow closed his eyes and remembered how quickly his escape capsule shot toward Earth. The elevator quickly reminded him of it. Everything turned white, then black. Shadow couldn't see anything at all. All the sounds of the roaring elevator seeped out his mind until he couldn't hear them at all. He blacked out.

"Shadow? Are you all right, Shadow?" he heard a new voice ask him.

Shadow was on his back, although his eyes were still closed. He twitched occasionally. "Maria..." he muttered. "Don't let me go..."

Someone shook him. "Shadow, wake up," said Smith. "We're off the elevator now."

Shadow finally opened his eyes. Smith and a strange-looking man in a white lab coat were leaning over him. "Wha... what happened?" Shadow asked.

"You lost consciousness a few minutes ago," replied Smith. "Don't worry about it - happens to all first-timers." Shadow gave him a life-threatening glare.

Shadow sat up and looked around. It was a large room, filled with many tables with computers, test tubes, and scraps of metal. It slightly resembled Gerald Robotnik's lab, except this was well-lighted. More weird men with goggles and lab coats were roaming around.

"You took a mighty nasty bump there, Shadow," said the man next to him. Shadow was startled and spun toward him. "Oh, allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Nuclear. I am the head scientist here at HQ."

Shadow looked around again. "Where is this?" he asked.

"This is our top-secret laboratory in the lowest level of HQ," answered Prof. Nuclear, with a grin across his face. "Welcome to your new home, Shadow."


End file.
